A special celebration took place in Cote Saint-Luc on Monday night celebrating the wedding of Yankel Raskin of Cote Saint-Luc to Mushkee Wilhelm of New York City.

While the traditional wedding took place last week in the hometown of the bride, Rabbi Mendel and Sarah Raskin decided that since the Cote Saint-Luc community is their family that the the Simcha would continue here.

Sheva Brachot are recited for the bride and the groom under the Chuppah during the Jewish Wedding ceremony. There is a tradition to throw dinner parties for the new couple each night during the week following the wedding. At the end of each of these meals, Sheva Brachot are recited.

The source of this custom of a week of festive dinners is the week that followed Jacob and Leah’s wedding (Gen 29:27). This community-wide celebration with the new couple contrasts greatly with the modern Western custom of the honeymoon.

Sheva Brachot are recited over a cup of wine, and usually the seven blessings are divided among honored guests. The cup of wine is passed around the table to the person reciting each blessing.

Yankel and Mushkee Raskin were welcomed at a lavish reception at the sprawling Hechal Menachem Chabad Cote Saint-Luc Congregation on Kildare Road. The grand Chagall Ballroom was festooned with a sumptuous buffet, wildly joyous music and hundreds of well wishers from the community. The new couple was welcomed in and simultaneous Horas broke out on the men’s side and women’s side of the ballroom to thunderous and joyful Klezmer music.

Rabbi Raskin introduced Mayor Anthony Housefather to welcome the bride and groom as well as the community. The Mayor wished the couple well and expressed, on behalf of the council, hopes for a long and healthy life together. Although Yankel and Mushkee will be returning to New York City for training at the World Chabad Centre the Mayor welcomed them to return and establish themselves in Cote Saint-Luc.

Mayor Housefather was joined by Councillors Mitchell Brownstein, Glenn J. Nashen (and wife Dr. Judy Hagshi) and Allan Levine. The Mayor and Councillors danced the festive Hora with the Rabbi and his son along with invited guests and raised a glass in honour of the new couple and their Simcha.

The Rabbi and his wife extended wishes to the community for a “K’tiva Vachatima Tova L’shana Tova U’metukah”, for a Happy and Healthy and Sweet New Year and for all to be inscribed in the Book of Life.